In all, 97.6% of its third- through eighth-graders passed the state math tests last year.

Only 61.4% of the public school students in the district passed. On English tests, 85.1% of students were proficient. In the district, it was less than half that.

The first class of eighth-graders who graduated last year all went on to top-tier high schools, including the specialized high school Brooklyn Tech, the elite private school Phillips Exeter on a scholarship, and parochial schools also on scholarship, said founding principal and now Icahn Charter School Superintendent Jeffrey Litt.

The school's success can be attributed to a "tight ship," he said.

"Parents receive a call by 9:15 if their students are absent," said Litt, noting school starts at 8:30. "You cannot fail at Icahn Charter because I have a million programs there to help you."